Railway-switch instrument.



C. 0. ANDERSON. RAILWAY SWITCH INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 213.14, 1911 1,01 1,554. Patented De0.12,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES O. ANDERSON, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO A. T. AUSTIN, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH INSTRUMENT.

T '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. ANDER- SON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railways, and more particularly to indicating or controlling instruments operated by the movement of switches and adapted to control or affect the operation of other instrumentalities according to the position to which the points of the switch are moved.

It is the object of my invention to provide in an instrument of this class means by which an increase in the movement of the switchpoints will automatically adjust the instrument so that its subsequent operations will correspond to the new movement of the switch-points.

In the operation of railway switches it is essential. when the switch is thrown that the one of the points which is moved toward its stock-rail be in engagement with such stockrail, or substantially so, in order that there may be no liability of worn wheel-flanges of cars passing over the switch entering between the switch-point and stock-rail and thus being derailed. Such a result as first mentioned might be easily attained were the stock-rails always retained in the same relation to each other; but in actual practice it is found that there is almost always a tendency for the stock-rails to spread apart. due principally to the outward pressure of wheels thereon, and when such spreading occurs it is necessary that the switch-points be moved a greater distance in order to engage them properly with their respective stock-rails. Mechanism has been provided by which the movement of the switch-points is automatically regulated, so that when spreading of the stockrails occurs the move mentof the switch-points is increased by an amount suflicient to bring the points into proper relation to or engagement with the stock-rails. When an indicating or controlling device is used in connection with such switch-actuating mechanism, and such indicating device is positively connected with the switch-points so as to give a proper indication when the points are moved the normal distance, then when the movement Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 14. 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Serial No. 608,602.

of the points is increased by the spreading of the stock-rails the device will give a false indication by showing that the switch is in a safe normal or reverse position, as the case may be, before a complete movement of the switch has actually occurred. Thus a signal might be set showing the switch to be safe when in fact the points were far enough away from the stock-rails to be liable to cause derailment of a car passing over the same. My invention provides an indicating or controlling device constructed and connected with the switch-points in such a man ner that when the switch-points are moved a distance greater than the normal the relation of the switch-points and the indicating device is changed so that, subsequently, the device will give the same indication with reference to the new limit of movement of the points as it did formerly with reference to the original or normal movement of the points.

Constructions embodying my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch having mv switch instrument connected therewith, Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the instrument on the plane of the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the instrument with the casing cover removed, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line fl/-fl/ of Fig. 2.

In the construction shown the stock-rails 1 and 2 and the switch-points 3 and 4 are arranged in the usual manner, the rails being secured upon the ties 5 and the switchpoints connected with each other by a spreader-bar 6. The casing 7 of the switchinstrument is secured upon the end portion of one of the ties 5 near the ends of the switch-points. A rod 8 is connected with the switch-point 3 and extends out under the rail 1. The outer end of the rod 8 is connected with the lower end of a crank 9 carried by a sleeve 10 rotatablv mounted in a bearing formed at the end of the casing 7. On the inner end of the sleeve is mounted an internal-gear segment 11 which meshes with a small pinion 12. The said pinion is revol'ubly mounted on a stud secured to the casing 7, and meshes with a gear 13 fixedly secured upon the shaft 14. The shaft 1 1 is journaled at one end in the sleeve 10 and at the other end in a suitable bearing formed in the casing 7. By the connections described, movement of the switclrpoints in either direction produces a corresponding rotary movement of the shaft, the geared connection between the sleeve 10 and shaft 11 being employed in order to give the shaft a greater rotary movement than is imparted to the sleeve 10 by the reciprocation of the rod 8.

The central part of the shaft 1st is squared ,and upon the end of the squared portion opposite the gear 13 is slidably mounted a conical disk 15. Said disk 15 is pressed yieldingly toward a similar disk 16 carried on the side of the gear 13, by means of a coil spring 17 of which one end engages the disk 15 and the other engages a collar 18 secured upon the shaft 14. The collar is preferably screwed upon the shaft so that the tension of the spring may be adjusted thereby. On the squared portion of the shaft, between the disks 15 and 16, is slidably disposed the separator-plate 19. Between the separator plate and the disks 15 and 16, respectively, are disposed the cylinders or drums 20 and 21 each of which has at its inner end a re cess fitting over the hub of the separator,- plate, and each having at its outer end a conical recess fitting over one of the disks.

The diameters of the axial openings through the drums are greater than the di agonal of the squared shaft so that the drums may be rotated relatively to the shaft, although the same are normally held in fixed relation thereto by the frictional engagement between them and the separator-plate and conical disks, all of which are pressed yieldingly together longitudinally of the shaft by the spring 17. On the drum 20 is a projecting lug 22 and on the drum 21 is a similar lug 23, the said lugs being oppositely disposed and having radial faces adapted to engage stops to limit the movement of the drums. The stops for engagement with the lugs 22 and 23 are adjustable, being formed by the heads of screws 21 threaded into projecting parts of the casing 7, as shown. The drums are so disposed with reference to the shaft 1 1 that the lugs will just engage the stops therefor when the shaft is turned by the normal movement of the switch-points. Should the stock-rails spread, and the movement of the switchpoints be increased, then the lugs will engage the stops before the movement of the shaft 1 1 is completed and, further movement of the drums being thus prevented, the relation thereof to the shaft will be changed by slipping of the clutch-like frictional connection between the drums and shaft. Thus, subsequently, like movements of the switchpoints and shaft 11 will again bring the drum-lugs merely into engagement with the stops, so that the drums reach their limits of movement at the same time that the switch-points reach their limits of move ment. The relations of the drums to the stops are thus automatically kept so as to reflect or to indicate the relations of the switch-points to the stock-rails. The relationship of movement thus maintained between the drums and the switch-points may be made use of in any desired manner. An example of such use is illustrated in the drawings as follows: The central parts of the drums are made of insulating material 25 in which are set bars 26 of conducting material. Brushes 27 are mounted on a block 28 of insulating material secured to the casing 7, and bear upon the peripheries of the drums so as to engage the bars 26 when the drums are turned to certain positions. In Fig. 1 two of the brushes are shown connected in parallel with a signalcontrolling relay 29 included in the blocksignal track-circuit formed through the rails 1 and 2, the battery 30 and connecting wires 31. Thus when the bar 26 establishes electrical connection between the said brushes the relay is short-circuited the same as it would be by the wheels of a car connecting the rails in the block.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a railway switch mechanism, of a member connected with the switclrpoints so as to move in unison therewith, a part frictionally connected with said member, and a stop for limiting the movement of said part.

2. The combination with a railway switch, of a shaft connected with the switclrpoints to revolve in unison with the reciprocating movement of the switch-points, a drum mounted upon the shaft and having frictional connection therewith, and a stop for limiting the rotation of the drum.

3. The combination with a railway switch, of a member connected with the switch points to move in unison therewith, a part having a variable connection with said memher, and a means for stopping movement of said part to vary the connection when the switch-points are moved past a predetermined limit.

4. The combination with a railway switch, of a rotatable shaft, means connecting the shaft with the switch-points so that movement thereof will rotate the shaft, a drum mounted upon the shaft, a friction clutch device connecting the drum and shaft, and a stop for limiting rotation of the drum in one direction.

5. In a railway switch instrument, a 1'0 tatable shaft, a drum mounted upon the shaft, a friction clutch device connecting the drum and shaft, means for connecting the shaft with switch-points so that movement of the switch-points will rotate the shaft,

and a stop for limiting rotation of the drum in one direction.

6. In a railway switch instrument, a rotatable shaft, a crank, means for connecting the crank with switch-points, gearing connecting the crank and shaft so that rotation of the crank will cause a greater rotation of the shaft, a drum mounted upon and frictionally connected with the shaft, and a stop for limiting rotation of the drum.

7. In a railway switch instrument, a rotatable shaft, a pair of drums mounted upon the shaft and each frictionall connected therewith, means for connecting the shaft with switch-points so that movement thereof will be synchronous, a stop for limiting rotation of one drum in one direction, and a stop for limiting rotation of the other drum in the other direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES O. ANDERSON. Witnesses:

WILSON A. AUSTIN, A. A. McOLURE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

